Winding machine



Feb. 27, 1934. F. w. BOMMER- WINDING MACHINE 2' Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct Feb 27, 1934., Y F. w. BOMMER 4 3 v .wmolnq momma Filed Obt. 'r, 1930 2 Sheeis-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 27, 1934 PATENT" OFFICE um'rso sures wmmnc moms Fred W. Bommer, Winchester, Mass, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Sibley-Pym Gorporation, Lynn, Mass, a corporation of Massaohu--- setts Application October 7, 1930. Serial No. 486,957

20 Claims.

This invention relates to winding machines and more particularly to machines for winding spheroids, such,- for example, as .golfb'alls the body of which comprises a center or nucleus on which there is wound a body of rubber or other thread or filament. One of the objects of the invention is to provide a machine which may be operated at a high speed and with a high rate of output withvout kinkage, chafing or breakageof the thread and so arranged as to avoid piling up of the wound threads in'groups or excessive thickness, but to secure automatically a desirable distribution of the wound threads and produce a wound ball of substantially spheroidal shape. I This and other objects of-the invention will be best understood by the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying illustration of one specific embodiment thereof,-while its scope will be, more particularly pointed out in m the appended claims. In the drawings: a K

Fig. 1 is afront elevation of a machine embodying one form of the invention;

Pg. 2 is asideelevation of .the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. '3 is a central, sectional-elevation taken Referring to the drawings and to the illustrative embodiment of the invention therein disclosed, the winding machine is provided with the base 11 in which there are journaled in suitable bearings parallel spindles 13, the ends of which protrude from the front of the machine and are provided each-with a roller 15 fixedly secured thereto, to be driven thereby. These rollers are slightly separated, as shown in Fig. 1, and are preferably grooved so that a spheroidal body; such as indicated at 17 in the drawings, to be wound may be seated in the'space between and above-the rollers and rest upon the grooved surfa es thereof.

In the illustrative'eznbodiment of the invention as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3) the groove in each roller is of a generally broad V formation, so that viewed 'sidewise the roller-has the appearance of two truncated cones joined by their smaller faces.

Preferably, though not necessaril one or both machine by a screw passing througha slot in kept .in hearing or seating contact with the rollgrooves are so'shaped, asby inclining the side 19 (see Fig. 3) at a slightly sharper. angle thanthe side 21, that a true spheroid when positioned on the rollers, while resting at two points on both opposite inclined face of each roller, contacts on 50 one inclined face with a'circumferential element of slightly .greater diameter than the circumferential element with which the spheroid contacts on the same roller. Accordingly, when the two rollers are driven in the same direction (represented by the arrows in Fig. 1), there is not only imparted to the spheroid a rapid winding movement about an axis parallelto the axes of the two' rollers, but. there is also imparted to the spheroid a tendency more or less marked to turn slowly o about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the axes of the two rollers. Any suitable means may be employed for imparting a high speed rotation to the rollers 15, but herein the spindle of each roller extends from the back of the machine base 11 and is provided with a pulley 23 having a belt connection 25 to an underlying pulley 2'] on the shaft 29 of the electric motor 31. Each roller is driven by the described mechanism without longitudinal reciprocatory or mechanically'controlled movement other than that of simple rotation, it being thereby possible to impart to the spheroidal body supported by the rollers an unusually high rotative winding movement.

.During the winding of the spheroid, the rub-.

her or other thread 33 employed is fed to the spheroid through the slotted eye of a guide 35, the latter herein being conveniently carried by a bracket 37' secured tothe side of the machine, the thread passing from the guide over the adjoining roller at the bottom of the groovethereof and about the under side of the spheroid 17. The guide bracket is fastened to the base of the the side of the guide so as to permit adjustment of the latter to vary the angle at which the thread may be fed to the machine. The thread is supplied from a spool or other source of sup ply. (not herein shown). and is preferably fed to the guide under tension, which may be "provided either manually or by automatic tensioning devices (not herein shown). I

During the winding operation, the spheroid is are by an oppositely positioned bearing member 39, herein in the form of a roller, which bears upon the opposite, and herein top, surface of the spheroid as it is being wound. The bearing member is herein journaled in the head 41 fixedly secured to the bottom of the plunger rod 43, the latter slldably mounted in the guiding bracket of the frame so as to be capable of a vertical movement of a suitable range. The plunger above the bracket 45 is provided with a rearwardly extending arm 47, and above the arm there is secured to the plunger the weight 49 to provide the necessary bearing pressure for the roller against the spheroid, this pressure being supplemented by that of the coiled spring 51, the lower end of which abuts against the arm 47 and the upper end against a pin 53 carried by the upper end of the vertical rod 55, the lower end of which is fixed in the machine frame. The arm 47 is slidably guided on the fixed rod 55.

When the core or nucleus to be wound is inserted in the machine, or when the wound core is removed therefrom, the plunger with the bear-' ing member is raised by means of the lever 57. one arm of which bears against the under side of the weight 49, the lever being pivoted at 59 on the machine frame and its opposite end having the depending link 61 connected to the pivoted foot lever 63. When the foot lever 63 is depressed the weight is lifted, raising the plunger and bearing member, permitting the insertion or withdrawal of the spheroid, at the same time compressing the spring 51. When the foot lever is released the plunger descends, being limited in its downward movement by contact between the arm 47 and the top of the bracket 45. During the winding of the core the weight maintains a pressure on the bearing member which is steadied by the compression of the spring. In the operation of the machine, as the winding proceeds the bearing member is gradually raised, raising the weight andslightly increasing the pressure effect of the spring 51 as the diameter of the ball increases and the pull of the threadon the ball becomes greater.

To start and to automatically stop the windcore has reached a predetermined size, the following mechanism is provided. The motor is stopped and started by means of a switch 65 ofthe ordinary two-push-button wall type positioned in a recess in the base 11 so that the starting button 67 and the stop button 69 project upwardly. Bearing against the stop button and pressed into contact therewith by the spring 71 is, a vertical switch closing plunger '73 which is slidably guided in a rearwardly projecting lug '75 on the machine frame, the upper projecting end of the plunger having a head '77 cooperatively related to the catch or detent 790i a trip lever 31 pivoted at'83 on the upper end of an upstanding bracket on'the machine frame. The motor is started into operation by manually depressing the starting button 6'7 which simultaneously raises the stop button69, lifting the plunger '73and causing the catch '79 to snap under the plunger head TI and hold it in raisedposition. The trip lever 81 has a forwardly projecting arm 87 connected to the spring 89, so that the catch 79 yields laterally when the plung- 'er is raised but snaps beneath the head thereof when the plunger is lifted to its upper position by the depression of the starting switch button 67-. s

As soon as the motor is started the winding operationstarts, and as the diameter of the spheroid increases the bearing roller gradually rises until a core of the required diameter has beenwound. When this point is reached the tip of an adjusting screw 91 carried by the arm 47 on the plunger, which has already engaged the under side' of a freely vertically movable pin 93, causes the upper end of that pin to come into contact with the bottom of an abutment 95 carried by the detent arm 87, causing the latter to lift and swing the catch back from beneath the plunger head 77. plunger, causing it to move down against the stop button 69, depressing the stop button and stopping the motor instantly, the starting button 67 being moved reversely so as to leave it in its pro- -truding position ready for starting the motor for This instantly releases the i merely the function of holding the spheroidagainst the rollers 15, maintaining a steady pressure on the spheroid, but it should be. so held as to permit its free and unimpeded winding movement, and the bearing member should so act as to spread or tend to spread the successive windings and prevent excessive piling up of the threads in one particular zone. If, under any conditions of use, there is substantial resistance offered by the bearing member to the winding movement of the spheroid, the thread will tend-to break, chafe the spheroid so that for any substantial interval it continues to wind the threads while rotating about the same axis, the threads will accumulate in groups giving an unevenly or imperfect- 1y wound core. I have found that these two functions of the bearing are combined by constructing it in the form of a roller journaled to rotate in anti-friction bearings about an established axis, whether or not it may have a movement in addition to its movement about such established axis, and further by so relating it to its point of contact on the spheroid that it tends at the same time to prevent the piling up of successive wind-v mgs.

' In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3, the bearing member is in the form of the roller 39 which forms the outside race of a ball bearing, the balls of which are shown at 97, and the inner ball race at 99. The inner race is fixedly secured on a journaling member comprising the stud 101 which is screwed into the head 41. The exterior-bearing surface of the roller 39 is preferably convex and is thus mounted for frictionless, unimpeded rotation about the axis established by the stud 101. The latter herein is inclined at a slight angle to the seating or supporting plane of the spheroid, which is determined by its points of contact with the groved rollers and would here be approximately parallel to the plane defined by the axes of the two rollers 15, so that the roller bears against the spheroid at a slight angle, the plane of rotation of the roller being inclined to an axis of the spheroid passing through the point of contact with the roller.

The point of contact between the spheroid and the roller 39 is here shown as occurring in a vertical plane approximately intersecting the center of the spheroid, but this point of contact may or kink, and if the bearing member tends to hold that point by means of the screws 103 which secure the head to the flange 105 of a connecting piece employed to fasten the head to the plunger, the screws passing through slots in the flange.

The exact movements of the spheroid which take place'during the winding operation are difficult of precise description since they are compounded with movements resulting from variations in the angle at which the thread is fed to the spheroid and with movements which result from more or less irregular contact between the faces of therollers and rapidly changing surface of the spheroid, and from other conditions not susceptible of exact analysis, due to the high speed at which the machine is operated. In gen-\ eral, however, the spheroid, besides turning rapidly about a horizontal axis parallel to the axes,

of the rolls and serving to wind on the rubber thread, also tendsto be gradually turned about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the .the described movement of the spheroid under the influence of the rollers 15, each successive. convolution of the thread tends to approach the bearing roll at a slight angle or off-set so that the roll exerts a slight lateral thrust against the spheroid, not only preventing anypiling up ofthe threads in that zone, but producing in the aggregate a gradual shifting of the spheroid about an axis transverse to the rollers but parallel to the plane defined by their axes, thereby securing a movement. of the spheroid which is compounded of movements in all three planes of space. Whether this is an accurate or exact description of the resultant movement of the spheroid, it

- has been found that the effect of the *-roller39 is to, permit the rolls to be driven at high speed, such as 2500 to 3500. R. P. M.'or more, without kinking or breaking the thread and at the same time avoiding any marked piling up or chafing of viously set with reference to the exact diameter of core desired tobe wound, as soon as this diameter has been reached, the adjusting screw 91 is moved by the pin 93, throwing the trip lever 81, releasing the plunger 73, depressing the stop button and stopping themotor. .At the same time, the starting button is raised, leaving the machine in condition to wind the next core as soon as the wound core has been withdrawn from the machine. r.

In Fig. 4'there is shown'a modified form of bearing member'l07, which comprises 'a roller having a bearing face oi cylindrical shape and mounted on ball bearings to turn about an established axis provided by the stud 109, the latter,

however, being herein parallel tothe rollers 15 and to the plane defined by their axes. Parallel sets of balls arehereinprovided and the roller 107, which forms in effect the outer ball race, has an inner concave spheroidal face which contacts with the balls so that, in addition .to the rolling movement'about the axis of the stud 109, the

roller is capable within certain limits of a free or other support on which it rotates iscapable.

of a lateral or other movement, giving the. roller a movement which, as in the case of the roller 107, is compounded of its rolling movement and. another movement, herein the movement of its support. Such a construction is shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

In this form of the invention the bearing roller 111, having an outer cylindrical bearing surface, is mounted'on the stud 113 to turn on ball bearings similar to the bearings provided for the roller 39 (Fig. 3), the stud providing a horizontal axis of rotation. Thestud 113, however, is carried by the arm 115, the opposite end of which is pivoted toturn about a vertical axis the threads tendency to ellipsoidal Winding and at a point removed and relatively from the hearing roller through means of the pivot pins 117 r ;ent diameter on opposite sides of 'the planeon which winding takes place.

In the operation of the-machine, the operative raises the plunger and bearing memberby de-- pressing the foot lever 63 and inserts between the rolls the center or nucleus to be wound, having attached thereto an end of the rubber thread leading from the source or supply. The bearing carried by the bifurcated end of the bracket arm -119;.-the opposite end of which is clamped to the lower end of theplunger 43. The proportions and relation of the bracket arm 119 and swinging arm are such that when the bracket is clamped on the plunger the arm 11,5 lies in a generally parallel direction below the bracket arm andabove and across the rollers 15, but is capable of'swinging freelyto one side' or the other so that the roller moves bodily across the con- .tacting surface of the spheroid, thepoint or contact between the roller and the spheroid moving along-an arc intersecting the axis of the plunger and that of the spheroid. A slight'swinging movement of the roller is all that is-required,-

and to limit this movement and prevent the roller from movingso far that the "spheroid is no longer efiectively held in bearing relation to roller. is then allowed to descend against the top the u 15, v lifnjting ise is provided in of the center by releasing the foot lever and the starting switch button 67 is depressed which instantly starts the motor and initiates the rapid winding movement of the center. The depression of the starting button 6'7 raises the stop button 69 andfthe plunger 73, the plunger head being thereupon caught and held beneath the catch '19. The adjusting screws 91 and 95 having been prelateral ers to impart a winding movement to the spheroid,

a bearing member for the'opposite face-of the spheroid comprising a roller, a supporting head movable toward and from the spheroid, means for yieldably pressing the head toward the spheroid, a journaling member in the head establishing a fixed axis of rotation for the roller, and antifriction bearings between the journaling member and the roller, said roller being adapted to m- I tate in a plane inclined to the seating plane of the spheroid.

2. A winding machine for winding spheroids having grooved rollers presenting a seat for the spheroid, means to drive said rollers with a simple movement of rotation, a bearing member for the opposite face of the spheroid comprising a freely rotatable roller yieldablypressed against the opposite face of the spheroid, and anti-friction bearings for saidroller, the plane of rotation -of said'roller being inclined with relation to an axis of the spheroid passing through the point of contact with the roller. 4,

3. A winding machine having apair of grooved rollers forming a seat for a spheroid, means for driving said rollers, anda bearing member yieldably pressed against the opposite face of the spheroid and comprising. a roller having a convex bearing face mounted to turn on anti-friction bearings about an axis inclined to the seating, plane of the spheroid. 4. A winding machine for winding spheroids having rollerspresenting a seat for the spheroid, means for driving said rollers to impart thereto a simple movement of rotation, and a bearing member yieldably pressed against the opposite face of the spheroid and comprising a roller mounted to turn about an axis inclined to the seating plane of the spheroid.

5. A winding machine for winding spheroids having a pairof grooved rollers presenting a seat for a spheroid, means for driving said rollers, and a bearing member yieldably'pressed against the opposite face of the spheroid and comprising a roller mounted to turn about an established journaling axis, said roller also being mounted for an oscillating movement with relation to its established axis of rotation.

- 6. A winding machine for winding spheroids having a plurality of rollers presenting a seat for a spheroid, means for driving said rollers, a bearing member yieldably pressed against the opposite face ofth'e spheroid comprising a roller, a

journal for the roller, and an anti-friction bearing. between the journal and the roller on which I the roller is adapted to have a rocking movement.

7. A winding machine having grooved rollers I presenting a. seat for a spheroid, means for driving said rollers, and an anti-friction bearing member yieldably pressed against the opposite face of the spheroid and movable bodily across the contacting surface thereof.

8. A winding machine for winding spheroids having a pair of adjacent driving rollers on which the spheroid rests, one of said rollers presenting points of seating contact for the spheroid on opposite sides of the plane in which winding takes place and at circumferential elements in said roller of different diameter, said rollers being adapted to turn the spheroid both about an axis parallel to the axes of the rollers and about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the axes of the rollers, means for imparting to said rollers a simple movement of rotation, and a bearing member rotatable about an established axis and yieldably pressed against opposite faces of the spheroid at a point where successive windings take place, said bearing member having a convex rim for meeting the oncoming windings and exerting a lateral thrust to shift the spheroid about anaxis transverse to the axes of the rollers.

9. A winding machine for winding spheroids having a pair of adjacent driving rollers on which the spheroid rests and adapted to turn the spheroid both about an axis parallel to the axes of the rollers and about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined bythe axes of the rollers, means for imparting to said rollers a simple movement of rotation, and a bearing member rotatable about an established axis and yieldably pressed against opposite faces of the spheroid at a point where successivewindings take- 'place, said bearing member having a convex rim for meeting the oncoming windings and exerting a lateral thrust to shift the spheroid about an axis transverse to the axes of the rollers but parallel to a plane defined by their axes.

10. A winding machine comprising means for supporting and rotating a spherical core about a predetermined axis to receive an elastic thread and at the same time leaving'the core free to be zone, contacting with the core in the winding zone and tending automatically by reacting with the wound thread to displace the core as the diameter of the winding zone increases.

11. A winding machine comprising means for rotating a sphericalcore about an axis disposed transversely to its winding plane to receive an elastic thread, and a roller with a transversely curved rim contacting with the core, the roller being confined to rotate with its rim in said plane and reacting with the most recently delivered turns of thread to displace the core to one side or other from the point of contact.

12. A winding machine comprising parallel rollers'providing a plurality of spaced points of seating contact for maintaining a sphericalcore in an established position, means for, driving at least one of said rollers with a rotational movement only to impart a high speed winding movement to said core about an axisparallel to the axes of the rollers, means for delivering guided thread to said core to establish a definite winding zone, and means to shift the rotational axis of .the core' as the latter is rotated to preserve its spherical form, the same comprising a roller 13. A winding machine comprising means for seating a spherical core on one side at a plurality of points spaced about its surface, said means being movable to impart a high speed rotation to the core, means for delivering a guided thread to the core to establish a definite winding zone, and means for detecting high points in the thread windings and shifting the rotational axis of the core, the same comprising a roller confined to rotate freely about a single axis, yieldably engagingthe core at a single point in the winding zone on the opposite side from the supporting means, and subjecting the core to a sub stantially continuous pressure whereby it may react transversely to the winding zone to shift the rotational axis of the core.

14. A winding machine comprising means for supporting and rotating a core to be wound of elastic thread, means for leading an elastic thread thereto in a definite winding zone, and a detector disk provided with a transverse journal upon which it is arranged to turn freely, and having a convex rim arranged to run on the core at a point in said winding zone and to react with the most recently delivered turns of thread to "displace the core to one side or the other from the point of contact to maintain it in spherical form as wound.

15. A winding machine for winding spheroids having a plurality of rollers presenting a seat for the spheroid, means for guiding winding thread to the spheroid, means for driving said rollers to turn said spheroid and wind the thread about the same, said rollers presenting a point of seating contact for said spheroid on opposite sides of the plane in which the winding takes place and at circumferential elements in said rollers of different diameter, and a bearing roller journaled to rotate about an established axis and yieldably pressed against the opposite face of the spheroid, said roller having a convex rim for meeting the oncoming windings of said spheroid and exerting a lateral thrust thereagainst to shift the spheroid about an axis transverse to the axes of the rollers but parallel to a plane defined by their axes.

16. A winding machine having rollers presenting a seat for a spheroid and acting to turnthe latter both about an axis .parallel to the axes of the rollers and about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the axes of the rollers, means for driving said rollers to impart thereto a simple movement of rotation, and a 'bearing member yieldably pressed against the opposite face of the spheroid and comprising a roller mounted to turn upon anti-friction bearings determining an established axis and having a convex bearing face.

17. A winding machine for winding spheroids having grooved rollers of diiferent effective diameter arranged to provide a seat for the spheroid and adapted to turn the latter both about an axis parallel to the axes of the rollers and about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the axes of the rollers, means for driving said rollers with a simple movement of rotation, a bearing member yieldably pressed against the opposite face of the spheroid comprising a freely rotatable roller, an arm carrying said member, and a pivotal support for said arm laterally removed and remote from the roller to provide for a free movement of the bearing member bodily across the contacting surface of the spheroid.

18. A winding machine for winding a spherical body of elastic thread, having grooved rollers providing a winding seat, means for driving said rollers with a simple movement of rotation, an a'ntiefriction bearing member yieldably pressed against the opposite face of the wound body, an arm carrying said member, and a support for the arm, said arm beingmovable on said support and providing for a movement of the bearing member bodily across the contacting surface I of the wound body.

191A winding machine for winding spheroids, having a pair of rollers presenting a seat for a spheroid, means for drivinglthe rollers, a bearing roller yieldably pressed against the opposite face of the spheroid, a roller support in which it is journaledto rotate about an established axis, and means movably carrying said support to permit the movement of the roller bodily across the wound surface of the spheroid.

20. In a winding machine having a pair of rollers providinga seat for a spheroid and acting to turn the latter about an axis parallel to the axes of the rollers and to permit it to turn about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the axes of the rollers, means for driving said rollers, a roller mounted for rotation on antifriction bearings about an axis established thereby and adapted to engage the opposite face of the spheroid, a transversely movable support for said bearings, andmeans for yieldably pressing the support toward the spheroid, said roller having a movement'of rotation about the axis of its bearings and a movement varying the position of 'its contact across the face of the spheroid.

FRED WJBOMMER. 

